{library OF congress/'^ 



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[SMITHSONIAN DEPOSIT.] 



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! UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.! 



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^ 



METHOD OF RECONCILIATION; 



AND 



FULLNESS OF CHRISTIAN PRIVILEGE. 



% 



.* 



THE METHOD 



OF 



MAN'S RECOMLIATION WITH GOD; 



AND THE 



FULLNESS OF CHRISTIAN PRIVILEGE: 

PREACHED BEFORE THE GENERAL CONFERENCE OF THE 
METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, UNITED STATES 
OF AMERICA, MAY 14, 1856. 



BY 

REV. JOHN HANNAH, D. D., 

AND 

REV. FREDERICK JAMES JOBSON, A. M. 



EDITED BY REV. D.' W. CLARK, D. D. 



uA 

■«♦•- 



rM^ 



:^ T J TU'X^^v^' CINCINNATI 



PUBLISHED BY L. SWORMSTEDT & A. POE, 

FOR THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, AT THE "WESTERN BOOK 
CONCERN, CORNER OF MAIN AND EIGHTH STREETS. 



R. P. THOMPSON, PRINTER. 



/ 



-^ 1 8 5 T . 






b? 



VysS 



Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1857, 

BY SWORMSTEDT & POE, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Southern District 

of Ohio. 






TO THE REVEREND 

THE BISHOPS OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 

IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 
AND THE 

DELEGATES OF THE GENERAL CONFERENCE, 1856, 

THE 

FOLLOWING DISCOURSES, 

PREACHED IN THEIR PRESENCE, AND PUBLISHED AT THEIR REQUEST, 
ARE MOST RESPECTFULLY AND AFFECTIONATELY 



INTRODUCTION. 



-♦^♦- 



The following sermons possess an intrinsic 
value. Not only are they rich in evangelical 
truth, but they must ever be regarded as fine 
specimens of exegetical and practical sermon-^* 
izing. This interest is hightened by the author- 
ship, and by the occasion on which they were 
delivered. 

A marked feature of the General conference 
of 1856, held at Indianapolis, Indiana, was the 
presence of the honored delegation of the Brit- 
ish Wesleyan Connection — Kev. John Hannah, 
D. D., and Rev. Frederick J. Jobson, A. M. 
On the second day of the session they were 
introduced to the conference by Rev. Bishop 
Waugh in an appropriate address. The address 
of the British Wesleyan conference was then 



8 INTRODUCTION, 

presented by Dr. Hannah, and afterward elo- 
quent and highly-instructive addresses were de- 
livered — much to the satisfaction of the confer- 
ence — by himself and Mr. Jobson. 

May Sth, the following resolution, introduced 
by Rev. Dr. Kennaday, of the New York East 
conference, was adopted : 

Besolved, That Eev. Dr. Hannah and the Eev* Mr. Job- 
son, the representatives in this body of our beloved breth- 
ren of the Wesleyan conference in Great Britain, be re- 
spectfully and affectionately requested to preach before 
the conference at such periods as they may respectively 
designate, on consultation v^ith the bishops. 

May 8th, Bishop Waugh announced that, in 
pursuance of the foregoing resolution, the rep- 
resentatives of the Wesleyan Connection in 
Great Britain, on consultation with the bishops, 
had designated Wednesday afternoon at three 
o'clock, as the time for a sermon from Dr. Han- 
nah before the conference, and Wednesday even- 
ing at half-past seven o'clock, as the hour when 
Rev. Mr. Jobson would preach before the con- 



INTRODUCTION. 9 

ference — the services on both these occasions 
to be in Wesley Chapel. 

May 14th5 on motion of Rev. H. Bangs, of 
the New York East conference, the following 
resolution was adopted, namely: 

Resolved, That when we adjourn, we adjourn to meet 
in Wesley Chapel this afternoon at half-past two o'clock, 
to hear a sermon from the Kev. Dr. Hannah, the repre- 
sentative of the Wesleyan conference in Great Britain. 

Pursuant to adjournment the conference met 
in Wesley Chapel, Bishop Scott in the chair. 
The accompanying discourse, on " The Method 
of Man's Reconciliation with God,'' was then 
delivered by Dr. Hannah, to a large and deeply- 
interested congregation. At the conclusion of 
the religious services, on motion of Rev. John 
A. Collins, of the Baltimore conference, sec- 
onded by Rev. Dr. George Peck, of the Wyo- 
ming conference, the following resolution was 
adopted unanimously by a rising vote, namely : 

Besolvedf by the delegates of the several annual confer- 
ences in General conference assembled, That we hereby 



10 



INTRODUCTION. 



tender our cordial thanks to Kev. Dr. Hannah for his truly- 
evangelical and able discourse, delivered before this body, 
and that we respectfully request a copy for publication, 
to be included in the catalogue of books published by 
authority of the General conference of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church. 

The conference then adjourned to meet in the 
evening to hear a sermon from the Rev. Mr. 
Jobson. At the appointed hour the house was 
densely crowded in every part. Bishop Simpson 
took the chair, and after the preliminary exer- 
cises, Mr. Jobson preached with great pathos and 
power on " The Fullness of Christian Privilege." 
After which, on motion of Rev. Dr. D. W. Clark, 
of the New York conference, seconded by Rev. 
Henry Slicer, of the Baltimore conference, the 
following resolution was unanimously adopted 
by a rising vote, namely : 

Besolved, by the delegates of the several annual confer- 
ences in General conference assembled, That we tender 
to the Eev. Mr. Jobson our cordial thanks for his eloquent 
and able sermon, and that we respectfully request a copy 
for publication. 



INTRODUCTION. 11 

In compliance with the request of the Gen- 
eral conference so earnestly made, the honored 
authors have forwarded, as early as their con- 
venience would admit, the manuscript copies of 
their respective discourses to the editor of the 
Western Book Concern, who is now gratified at 
being able to present them to the public in their 

present form. 

Western Book Concern, 
Cincinnati^ February 25, 1857. 



THE METHOD 



OF 



MAN'S RECONCILIATION WITH GOD. 



BY 



EEV. JOHN HANiSrAH, D. D. 



I 



SEEM ON. 



-•^^ 



"For lie hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin ; that 
we might be made the righteousness of God in him." — 2 Cor- 
inthians r, 21. 

Keconciliation, and the ministry of recon- 
ciliation, are placed before us in this chapter 
with extraordinary clearness and force. "All 
things," says the apostle, comprising especially 
the things which he has just recounted, and 
which appertain to man's new creation, "are 
of God, who hath reconciled us," once enemies, 
"to himself by Jesus Christ, and," in pursuance 
of his mercy, "hath given to us the ministry 
of reconciliation." Reconciled ourselves, we 
have it in charge to minister the doctrine of 

reconciliation to others; "to wit, that God was 

15 



o 



16 THBMETHODOF 

in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, 
not imputing their trespasses unto them." And 
while he hath given to us the ministry of rec- 
onciliation, he *^'hath committed unto us," liter- 
ally, as in the margin, "hath put in us the 
word of reconciliation." It follows "now, then, 
we are embassadors for Christ ;" we have re- 
ceived the word of reconciliation from him, we 
appear in his name, we execute his commission, 
"as though," wonderful condescension! "God 
did beseech you by us : we pray you in Christ's 
stead," as if that great Embassador himself 
urged the plan, " be ye reconciled to God.'' 

But what is the ground or reason of all this ? 
What is it that forms and sustains the whole? 
It is, as you are next apprised, the propitiatory 
sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ, instituted 
for the attainment of this grand design by God 
the Father. "For he," with whom we are so 
earnestly pressed to seek and accept of recon- 
ciliation, " hath made him to be sin for us, who 
knew no sin; that we might be made the right- 



RECONCILIATION. 17 

eousness of God in him." Christ, then, is he 

WHO KNEW NO SIN. YeT HE WAS, BY THE Fa- 
THER'S appointment, MADE SIN FOR IJS, who, 

alas ! knew no righteousness, who were totally 
estranged from our primitive innocence and 
integrity. And he was made sin for us, that, 
in the gift and process of his restraining grace, 

WE MIGHT BE MADE, or MIGHT BECOME, THE 

RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GoD IN HIM. These are the 
things which assure us of reconciliation, and 
which, by the Holy Spirit's agency, give eflFect 
to all its ministrations. They are familiar, hon- 
ored fathers and brothers, to your best thoughts 
and feelings. Yet permit me, on this occasion, 
to recall your attention to them, with prayer 
that the God of truth and love, the Father of 
lights and mercies, may sanctify and bless our 
meditations. 

I. Christ is he who knew no sin.- He was 

perfectly sinless, and he alone was sinless. 

1. Christ was perfectly sinless: "he knew 

2 



18 THEMETHODOF 

no sin/' Testimonies of Scripture abundantly 
prove that, in his humanity, in the nature which 
he assumed for our sakes, he knew no sin of 
any kind or degree — no sinful tendency, or 
guilt, or stain. He knew sin in others — never 
in himself. He had no perception or feeling of 
it there. ^^For such an high-priest became us, 
who is holy, harmless, undefiled'' — '^holy,'' with 
r-espect to God — "harmless," with respect to 
men — '^undefiled," in himself — "separated from 
sinners." ^^In all things," indeed, "it behooved 
him to be made like unto his brethren. As the 
children," therefore, "are partakers of flesh 
and blood, he also himself likewise took part of 
the same;" and he "suffered, being tempted." 
, Nay, he "was in all points tempted like as we 
! are, yet without sin." He "did no sin, neither 
was guile found in his mouth." To his most 
observant and bitter adversaries he could make 
the appeal, "Which of you convinceth me of 
sin?" "The prince of this world had nothing 
in him." "Ye know that he was manifested 



RECONCILIATION. 19 

to take away our sins ; and in him is no sin :" 
"ye know that ye were not redeemed with cor- 
ruptible things, as silver and gold ; but with the 
precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without 
blemish/^ in himself, "and without spot^^ from 
any external taint or dejBlement. Call to mind 
his miraculous conception and birth : he partook 
not of man's hereditary guilt and depravity, 
but was then also "holy." Trace his course 
through all his sojourn on this earth of ours, 
where he "went about doing good, and healing 
all that were oppressed of the devil." Behold 
him, when " the hour was come," amidst all the 
solemnities of the garden and the cross, till he 
yielded up his spirit into the hands of his 
Father. Follow him in every period, through 
every circumstance; your conclusion is still the 
same: he "knew no sin" — he was 'perfectly sin- 
less. 

2. Christ alone was thus sinless. "This pre- 
rogative is peculiar to him of all that have 
shared the nature of man. Adam, indeed, was 



20 THEMETHODOF 

"made upright;" for he was made "in the im- 
age/^ and "after the likeness/' of God. But 
how soon he revolted and fell ! and his descend- 
ants, as naturally proceeding from him, "are 
all under sin;" for "all have sinned, and come 
short of the glory of God." "The Scripture 
hath," accordingly, "concluded all under sin" — 
hath shut all up together, as in a dark and 
dreary prison-house, whence there is no door 
of escape but that which the hand of mercy 
shall open. Jesus alone is spotless and pure — 
" the holy one and the just." It is in harmony 
with this great truth, and is indeed powerfully 
significant of it, that the expression in the text 
does not assume the form of a simple declara- 
tion, but of a title which conveys the notion 
of special and unshared distinction: it is not 
merely "he knew no sin," but "he who knew 
no sin" — whose peculiar character and claim 
it is to be wholly immaculate. There is One, 
then, who vindicates the honors of our human- 
ity — one, and one alone, in whom our nature is 



RECONCILIATION. 21 

untouched, unstained with sin — one, too, who 
undertakes our cause, who appears as the head 
and representative, the Redeemer, Savior, and 
Lord of our race. He is "the last Adam," of 
whom the first Adam was a "figure," or type. 
But he is not only the possessor of life, like the""' 
first Adam when he was made "a living soul;" 
he is the author and giver of life — its fullness^ 
its fountain, who came that we "might have j 
life," and "might have it more abundantly;" 
and he is, therefore, "a quickening," or life- . 
giving, " Spirit." He is " the second man," who 
more than countervails the sins and sorrows 
done to the first man's transgression and its 
disastrous influence. He is "the Lord from 
heaven," who has descended to earth, clothed , 
himself in the vesture of our nature, and reo- 
pened Paradise to an exiled and fugitive world, i 
Man's Restorer is " he who knew no sin." 

IL Yet He, who himself "knew no sin," was 

MADE SIN, BY THE FaTHER'S APPOINTMENT, FOR 



22 THEMETHODOF 

US. Each of these particulars demands our 
serious and devout consideration. 

1. Christj who " knew no sin/' was made sin. 
But how, or in what sense? Sin may be re- 
garded as denoting three things, or as compre- 
hending them in its ordinary meaning and ap- 
plication — the act of sin, whether in thought, 
word, or deed; the depravity of sin consequent 
upon its act ; and the penalty which is due to 
both. But the holy Jesus w^as not made sin by 
any act of sin, by personal transgression, by 
becoming, in that sense, a sinner. no ! nor 
was he made sin, as if he were infected with 
man's depravity^ as if our sin were so imputed 
to him as to make him, even in the smallest 
degree, partaker of our spiritual and moral cor- 
ruption. Far from us be the thought! The 
passages of Scripture which we have already 
produced fully prove that, in these two sejises, 
he knew no sin. How", then, could he be made 
sin? In the only sense w^hich remains. He 
\ i J was made sin, when he was appointed to bear 



KECONCILIATIOK. 23 

the penalty of sin — the death which was its due. / 
Yes! he was made sin when "his soul was made 
an offering for sin'^ — when "his own self bare 
our sins in his own body on the tree'^ — when 
he died that death might die, and that "grace 
might reign through righteousness unto eternal 
life'^ by him. The proper import of the term, 
in such a connection as this, may be clearly 
ascertained from the ninth chapter of the Epis- 
tle to the Hebrews : " But now once in the end 
of the world hath he/^ that is, Christ, "appeared 
to put away sin hy the sacrifice of himself. And 
as it is appointed unto men once to die, but 
after this the judgment: so Christ was once 
offered to hear the sins of many; and unto them 
that look for him shall he appear the second 
time without sin^ When he appeared the first 
time, it was to be offered — to hear the sins of 
many — to put away sin hy the sacrifice of him- 
self, and thus to be made sin. But .w^hen he 
shall appear the second time, it shall be Avithout 
sin, in the sense already so plainly indicated, 



24 THEMETHOBOP 

"unto salvation" — the entire and eternal salva- 
tion of all the Christian's future heaven. The 
apostle's word, then, conveys the notion of sin- 
oifering, expiation, atonement, satisfaction for 
sin ; but conveys it with singular and impressive 
energy. "Behold the Lamb of God!" He 
"beareth," and he thus "taketh away the sin 
of the world." 

2. But Christ was made sin hy the Father s 
appointment: God "hath made him to be sin for 
us." "The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity 
of us all;" "it pleased the Lord to bruise him; 
he hath put him to grief." The Father " spared 
not his own Son, but delivered him up for us 
all" — "gave his only-begotten Son" — "sent" 
him to be the propitiation for our sins." True 
it is that he was "taken," and "by wicked 
hands" was "crucified and slain." But, in 
the midst of all, he "was delivered by the de- 
terminate counsel and foreknowledge of God." 
We are taught to look beyond the agency and 
ministry of man — beyond the malignity of our 



RECONCILIATION. 25 

Lord's "betrayers and murderers/' and to fill 
our minds with the thought of God's ineffable 
love, issuing from its own eternal well-spring, 
and flowing in the tide of its own mercy. The 
all-atoning sacrifice of Christ is not the cause 
which produced God's love to man. No ! But 
it is the grand medium through which that love, 
already existing, and already waiting to impart 
its priceless treasures, finds free and full trans- 
mission, in union with the maintenance, nay, 
with the manifestation and glory of God's own 
righteousness. How peculiar, how pre-eminent 
is this love! "For scarcely for a righteous 
man," says St. Paul, or for a inan of unim- 
peachable justice and integrity, who observes 
all that is right, and allows nothing that is 
wrong, " will one die." Such a man may 
awaken great respect and even veneration ; but 
he will scarcely engage the love which would 
prompt another to die in his behalf. "Yet per- 
adventure for a good man," or for the good 
man — for it is worthy of note that the apostle's 



26 THEMETHODOF 

own language here becomes more definite — per- 
adventure for the man of benignity, of sponta- 
neous and communicative love, ^^some/^ to whom 
he may have been a benefactor, and who may 
have drawn blessings from his bounty, ^' would 
even dare to die/' ''But/' the apostle pro- 
ceeds, making a contrast, not a comparison, with 
these forms of human regard, ''God commend- 
eth his love toward us'' — proves that it is his, 
single and unrivaled, and recommends it by its 
own transcendent claims, "in that, while Ave 
were," not righteous or good, but "sinners," 
"yet sinners," "Christ," by the provisions of 
his wisdom and grace, "died for us." "Herein 
is love/' beyond all parallel, beyond all esti- 
mate — love which far passes the utmost limits 
of man's or angel's thought. 

3. Yes, Christ died for us; he was "made 
sin for us/' he "suffered for sins, the just for 
the unjust, that he might bring us," by a new 
and most blessed introduction or access, "to 
God." The history of man can not fail to raise 



RECONCILIATION. 27 

and expand our views of that love divine which 
has made him its object. Review the fact of 
his first revolt from Grod. How aggravated in 
all its parts ! That a creature so rich in endow- 
ment and privilege, bright in the image of his 
God, and admitted to free and filial intercourse 
with him — surrounded by the beauties and bliss 
of Paradise — and led onward, in glad anticipa- 
tion, to yet higher joys, of which the tree of 
life in the midst of the garden was doubtless a 
sacramental sign and pledge, that he should, for 
one prohibition, for one gentle restraint, violate 
all his obligations, and plunge into transgres- 
sion — who can tell the sum of ingratitude which 
this involves? Think also of man's perpetual 
rehellion^ after he had fallen from his God. 
Ages succeeding to ages passed away; Divine 
judgments were interposed; the Deluge cov- 
ered all the globe; the fires of Sodom and Go- 
morrah were kindled from heaven; revolutions, 
with their wonted attendants, famine, pestilence, 
and war, swept over the nations — revelations 



28 THE METHOD OF 

were given, the presence of the Lord was mani- 
fested in glory, patriarchs journeyed, prophets 
taught, saints lived, and martyrs died — and yet 
man continued to sin. See his deep degrada- 
tion and helpless misery at the time when the 
Lord's Messiah came. Darkness had become 
more gross ; depravity abounded on every side, 
among Jews as well as Gentiles; the faithful 
ones were few. All things seemed ripening for 
destruction. God be praised, they were found 
ripe for mercy. Then it was that day dawned j] 
on our dreary night. "When,'^ in the apos- 
tle's forcible language, "we were yet without 
strength" — '^yet sinners," or "enemies," "in 
due time Christ died for the ungodly," How is 
the love of God enhanced ! You see that it is 
great in itself — great in all its manifestations — 
great in the "unspeakable gift" which it be- 
stows — great in its endless provisions — and, ! 
is it not felt to be great, unutterably great, when 
it is considered as descending, in its fullness of 
grace and truth, on sinful and unworthy man? 



RECONCILIATION. 29 

''God is love." That is one of the simplest 
and most sublime utterances ever given in the 
language of men : how deep ! how large ! But 
it gains its glorious illustration in the mission 
and death of Jesus, the holy One, "who gave 
himself for our sins, according to the will of 
God and our Father,'^ and who thus " obtained 
eternal redemption for us." 

III. Christ was made sin for us, that we 

MIGHT BE MADE, Or MIGHT BECOME, THE RIGHT- 
EOUSNESS OF God in him. 

1. That we might become the righteousness 
of God in him by receiving^ through faith in his 
bloody the gift of a present and personal justifi- 
cation before Grod; that we might enjoy the 
privilege of them who "are in Christ Jesus,'' 
and to whom there is "now no condemnation;" 
and that we might thus regain our forfeited | 
relation as children of God. "The righteous- 
ness of God" is a phrase which St. Paul em- 
phatically uses in connection with a sinner's 



30 THEMETHOBOF 

justification. Take, for example, what he says 
in the first chapter of his Epistle to the Romans. 
^^I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ." 
Why? Because of its power; "iox it is the 
power of Grod:^^ because of its mercy ^ to which 
its power ministers ; '' for it is the power of God 
unto salvation:''^ and because of its impartial 
grace^ in which its power and mercy find a 
ready and unconfined application, suspended 
only on the simple condition of faith; '^for it 
is the power of God unto salvation to every one 
that helieveth; to the Jew first/' to whom, in 
the economy of the '^only wise God our Sav- 
ior," its ofi*ers were first made, " and also to the 
Greek." These are reasons, drawn from the 
very character of the Gospel, in virtue of which 
the apostle might well not be ashamed of it. 
Such a Gospel Avas to him, as I trust it also is 
to us, a theme of the highest glorying, not of 
shame. But how does it appear that the Gos- 
pel possesses this character? The reason next 
assigned declares: '^For therein is the right- 



RECONCILIATION. 31 

eousness of God revealed from faith to faith: 
as it is written. The just shall live by faith.'^ 
If there were any doubt with respect to the 
precise and determinate meaning of the apos- 
tle's language here, how entirely would it be 
removed in the third chapter of the Epistle, 
where the same subject is resumed, and more 
largely pursued! ^'But now the righteousness 
of God without the law is manifested, being 
witnessed by the law and the prophets." What 
righteousness of God is thus manifested and 
witnessed? ^^Even the righteousness of God 
which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and 
upon all them that believe : for there is no dif- 
ference/' How does this yet farther appear? 
"Being justified freely," as you afterward read, 
"by his grace through the redemption that is in 
Christ Jesus : whom God hath set forth to be a 
propitiation through faith in his blood, to de- 
clare his righteousness for the remission of sins 
that are past, through the forbearance of God; 
to declare, I say, at this time hi^ righteousness : 



32 THEMETHODOF 

that he might be just, and the justifier of him 
which believeth in Jesus, Where is boasting, 
then? It is excluded. By what law? Nay: 
j 1 but by the law of faith. Therefore we con- 
• 1 elude that a man is justified by faith without 
' jthe deeds of the law.'' Penitent believers thus 
1 become the righteousness of God in Christ. 
The penalty of man's sin was imputed to him; 
and, in him, the righteousness of God by faith 
is imputed to us. Happy day! when the faint 
and weary spirit finds rest in the attainment 
of this righteousness. The ''great and strong 
wind" which ''rent the mountains, and brake in 
pieces the rocks before the Lord," the "earth- 
quake" and the "fire" have passed away, and 
the "still small voice" is heard. The Lord is 
in that voice, which whispers and imparts his 
mercy. "Justified by faith, we have peace with 
him." The shadows break and disperse, and 
" the Sun of righteousness arises with healing 
in his wings." Heaven shines in new glory; 
earth blooms with new beautv; a new pulse 



Oo 



RECONCILIATION. o:j 

beats, and new life flows. "Joy and gladness 
are "found" now, ^thanksgiving and the voice 
of melody.^' 

2. That we might also become the righteous- 
ness of God in him hy receiving^ through the 
faith which unites us to him, and along with the 
blessing of justifying grace, the gift of spiritual 
regeneration and reneiual — not only righteous- 
ness imputed to us, but righteousness planted 
within us — " Christ in you." Believers in Jesus 
are admonished, in St. PauFs language to the 
Ephesians, that they "put off the old man"— 
that they "be renewed in the spirit of their 
mind" — that they "put on the new man, which 
after God is created in righteousness and true 
holiness." For "if any man be in Christ, he is 
a new creature: old things are passed away; 
behold, all things are become new." The in- 
separable connection which subsists between the 
two great parts of the Christian salvation — jus- 
tification and sanctification — is to be carefully 
observed and maintained. These blessings are 



34 THEMETHODOF 

indeed distinct in their own nature. Justifica- 
tion denotes what our most merciful God and 
Father accomplishes for us, when he forgives 
our iniquitieSj admits us to his favor and fellow- 
ship, restores us to our proper relation to him- 
self, which we had lost, and again makes us 
partakers of w^hat one of the early Christian 
writers calls "that ancient adoption," which 
man enjoyed before the fall. Sanctification de- 
notes what he accomplishes in us, when he 
breaks the power of sin, infuses spiritual light, 
and life, and love, and "transforms us by the 
renewing of our mind.'^ But the two blessings 
constantly attend each other. When God jus- 
tifies, he also regenerates — he commences that 
work of sanctification within us which is to ad- 
vance more and yet more till, as " the very God 
of peace," he shall "sanctify us wholly;" he 
imparts that new nature Avhich is to grow up 
into its own promised maturity, "unto a perfect 
man, unto the measure of the stature of the 
fullness of Christ." The connection of which 



RECONCILIATION. 35 

we speak occupies a prominent place in the 
Epistle to the Romans; and it formed an emi- 
nent part of the testimony which was confided 
to our fathers. They preached salvation in 
all its range and compass. In opposition to 
the Pharisaism of man's nature, they pro- 
claimed justification by faith only — salvation 
"by grace/' its one source and fountain, 
"through faith/' its sole condition; and, in 
opposition to the Antinomianism of man's na- 
ture, they proclaimed that God renews whom 
he accepts — that the Spirit of adoption, who, by 
his testimony, conveys to us the assurance of 
God's fatherly love in our pardon and admission 
to the happy filial relation, instantly, and by 
means of that very testimony, creates filial love 
in our hearts, the principle of the divine nature 
which we now partake — that, in a word, the 
faith through which we are saved is the "faith 
which worketh by love," and which issues in a 
new creation. They published the mercy which 
freely saves, but which, at the same time, lays 



36 THEMETHODOF 

US under the highest obligations — which brings 
its own plentiful gifts to cheer the guilty and 
mourning spirit, but which also urges us by new 
motives, and aids us by new helps, to engage 
ourselves to God, and to seek an entire spirit- 
ual renovation. '^ God is the Lord,'' says the 
Psalmist, ^' which hath shewed us light." But 
it is a light which penetrates and transforms, 
while it illuminates and cheers. When we turn 
with the heart to the Lord, and receive, 'hvith 
unvailed face," the glory which he discloses, 
"we are changed into the same image from 
glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the 
Lord." Christ, then, was made sin for us that, 
gaining in him the righteousness of personal 
justification, we might also gain the righteous- 
ness of a changed and sanctified nature. 

3. That we might, in accordance with all this, 
and as its great practical results, become the 
righteousness of God in him hy receiving power^ 
through faith in Ms namey and in virtue of our 
union with him^ to " serve'' ^ the Lord our Cfod 



RECONCILIATION. ' 37 

" without fear^ in holiness and righteousness 
hefore him^ all the days of our life^ Grod in 
Christ bestows his mercies, and, by the opera- 
tion of his Spirit, creates our natures anew; 
but he also advances his high claims — claims 
pre-eminently founded on redemption. What 
is the sacrifice which he now prescribes? The 
sacrifice of ourselves. ^^Bind'^ that ^^ sacrifice/^ 
then, ^^with cords/' the cords of grateful love 
and obedience, '^even unto the horns of the 
altar:'' let it be ^'living, holy, acceptable — your 
reasonable service.'' What surrender or pre- 
sentation does he now demand? The surrender 
or presentation of ourselves in devoted submis- 
siveness. ^' Yield yourselves unto God," says 
St. Paul, " as those that are alive from the dead, 
and your members as instruments of righteous- 
ness unto God;" "yield your members servants 
to righteousness unto holiness." To whom shall 
we now live'? To "the Lord" — to -"him who 
died for us, and rose again;" for Christ "gave 
himself for us, that he might redeem us from 



38 THEMETHODOF 

all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar 
people, zealous of good works ;'^ he ''bare our 
sins/^ to recite St. Peter's language, ''that we, 
being dead to sins, should live unto right- 
eousness/' What fi'uit shall we noAY bear? 
the "fruit of righteousness" — "fruit unto holi- 
ness" — "much fruit," such as becomes branches 
grafted in the heavenly Vine, and cultivated 
by the hand of the great Vine-Dresser — the 
"fruit of the Spirit" which is "in all good- 
ness, and righteousness, and truth "—" fruits of 
your righteousness," which God can "increase," 
till they who resign themselves to the guidance 
of his truth and grace shall be "filled" with 
them — " with the fruits of righteousness," which 
are by Jesus Christ, unto his "praise and glory." 
Evangelical righteousness is one: its several 
parts may be distinctly contemplated; but they 
exist in the strictest harmony with each other, 
and they visibly discover themselves in the 
Christian's practical obedience to God. For 
when he is "saved," according to the evan- 



RECONCILIATION. 39 

gelical way or plan of salvation^ and is "^^ cre- 
ated in Christ Jesus/' it is "unto good works, 
which God hath before ordained that we should 
walk in them." Let us " follow after right- 
eousness;" and let it be our humble prayer 
that, by the aid which the "Spirit of life in 
Christ Jesus" w^aits to supply, "the righteous- 
ness of the law maybe fulfilled in us" — that 
"like as Christ was raised from the dead by the 
glory of the Father, even so we also," raised 
from the death of sin and misery, may "walk 
in newness of life." Reconciliation, then, is 
provided for man — provided by " him who knew 
no sin," who in our nature joined in his most 
blessed person inseparably and eternally with 
the Divine, was perfectly and alone sinless — 
provided in the true atoning sacrifice which, by 
the Father's appointment, he has o3*ered for us, 
and provided with the intent that we, through 
the faith which unites us to him, may recover 
our filial relation by justifying grace — may re- 
joice in the filial nature as renewed by the 



40 THE METHOD OF 

'^ sanctification of the Spirit" — and may resign 
ourselves to the filial obedience which Ave owe 
to God our Father — that we may, in a word, 
'^become the righteousness of God in him." 
And thus, while we yet sojourn in the wilder- 
ness, shall we be made "meet to be partakers 
of the inheritance" which rises to the eye of 
faith and hope beyond the Jordan of death- — 
" the inheritance of the saints in light." 

The provision of reconciliation is a provision 
for man — for universal man; and how wonder- 
fully is it suited to his circumstances and wants ! 
When you survey the inhabitants of the earth, 
you see that, in many things, they differ — in 
climate, color, language, customs, and in all the 
gradations which subsist between the rudest and 
the most cultivated states of life; but you see 
other things in which they always and every- 
where agree. Turn whither you will, to ages 
past or present, to lands nearer or more remote, 
wherever you find man apart from the agencies 
of heavenly grace, you find guilt w^hich needs 



RECONCILIATION. 41 

remission — depravity which needs renewal — and 
misery which sighs for bliss as yet untasted and 
unknown. What shall meet the condition of 
our race in these its mournful characters ? Pen- 
itential sorrows, if they were even at command, 
efforts to procure self-relief, costly gifts, and 
voluntary pains, all are unavailing. To whom, 
then, shall sinners, a world of sinners, go ? To 
Him. who has wrought their reconciliation, and 
who waits to create their peace. He presents 
the atonement which satisfies all the demands of 
justice ; he confers the grace which meets and 
supplies every want; he guides to man^s true 
happiness — happiness in God. Let the hungry 
come, and he will feed them — the thirsty, and 
he will give them drink; let them who labor 
and are heavy laden come, and he will refresh 
them — the poor, and he will make them rich. 
He has been ''lifted up from the earth,'^ suffer- 
ing the death which he was appointed to die ; 
and he draws by the mighty attractions of the 
cross — by the light of its truth, by the revela- 



42 THEMETHODOF 

tions of its love, and by the spiritual influence 
which attends its faithful exhibition; he draws, 
and he will draw, till, up to the full measure of 
his own prophetic promise, he shall ^^ draw all 
men unto himself/^ Man is a sinner beyond 
what he can himself conceive; but he is re- 
deemed, and he maybe saved: he is lost; but 
he may be found by that good Shepherd who 
goes into the mountains and the deserts in quest 
of the one stray sheep : he is the prodigal, who 
has wandered into a far country — a fugitive in 
sin, and weariness, and destitution; but he may 
be recovered to his Father's favor, fellowship, 
and home. "Peace on earth'' is proclaimed, 
the peace of reconciliation, Avith all the privi- 
leges and obligations which thence arise, "peace 
to him that is far off, and to him that is near ;" 
for Christ is himself " our peace, who," in the 
sweep and compass of his mercy, "hath made 
both one." 

Reconciliation is provided for man ; and shall 
not its ministry still be exercised, as in times 



RECONCILIATION. 43 

past, with humble and yet confident expectation 
of success? The trumpet which announces the 
Lord's jubilee ought to give no uncertain or 
doubtful sound. Look at the days of the apos- 
tles, I need not remind you, reverend fathers 
and brethren, how these first ministers of our 
Lord published the doctrine of reconciliation — 
with what assurance of its truth — with what 
faith in its power. The example of St. Paul 
will at once recur to your thoughts. He could 
say, in his own name, and in the name of his 
fellow-laborers, "We preach Christ crucified — 
the power of God, and the wisdom of God.'^ 
He "determined not to know any thing,'' even 
among the Corinthians, learned and wise as 
many of them were, "save Jesus Christ, and 
him crucified;" he disclaimed all glorying but 
glorying "in the cross of our Lord Jesus 
Christ ;" and what a sketch does he give us of 
the character of his preaching when, in the earn- 
est expostulation which he addresses to the 
Galatians, he says, "Who hath bewitched you, 



44 THEMETHODOF 

that ye should not obey the truth, before whose 
eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, 
crucified among you?" Ministrations like these, 
applied and sealed by the Spirit of truth, were 
not in vain. The message of reconciliation by 
Christ's death on the cross, prevailed over ig- 
norance, sin, prejudice, pride, and every form 
of opposition, till the holy apostle could use the 
joyous language, ''Now thanks be unto God, 
which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, 
and maketh manifest the savor of his knowledge 
by us in every place/' Look also at the age of 
the Reformation. Primitive truth was then re- 
vived. The merits of Christ's all-sufiicient and 
most efiicacious sacrifice were made known far 
and wide. Salvation as attainable by faith, and 
the holy fruits which thence ensue, were urged 
with the clear evidence of truth, and the per- 
suasiveness of love. And what was the result? 
Darkness was broken; the sleep of ages de- 
parted ; inquiry was roused ; lessons, which 
pointed at once to faith in our Lord Jesus 



RECONCILIATION. 45 

Christ, were not only promptly giveiij but cor- 
dially received ; and many were made free. 
Once more, '^the word of God was not bound,'^ 
but '^ran/' and w^as ''glorified.'^ Look at the 
age of our fathers. They published the great 
evangelical message which formed the substance 
of apostolical testimony, and w^hich the early 
reformers labored so successfully to revive and 
restore. First of all, they published it in the 
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, 
and then elsewhere, till '^the word of the Lord,^' 
by means of their zealous and indefatigable min- 
istrations, ^-sounded out" to this mighty conti- 
nent, to the West Indies, and to other parts of 
the western world — as it continues to sound out 
in different directions, where God, by his grace 
and providence, prepares the way. And with 
what effect? Our fathers themselves have told 
us ; and many yet alive cherish memories of the 
rise and progress of good which w^ill not die. 
Venerable men who now hear me, and in whose 
presence among us we greatly rejoice, can 



46 THEMETHOBOF 

retrace the progress of the work in these lands 
through many years of toil and prosperity, 
among whites, blacks, and Indian tribes. And 
still that work spreads. We look around us, 
pause in humble admiration, and cry, '' What 
hath God wrought V^ Glory to him alone ! 
Signs and evidences multiply around us that, 
" by the foolishness of preaching,^' by that 
grand central theme, Christ crucified^ which his 
faithful servants have in all ages proclaimed, 
but which the w^ise ones of this world deride 
as foolishness, it still pleases him "" to save them 
that believe." Proof is yet amply supplied 
concerning the truth of the apostle's declara- 
tion, '^The foolishness of God is Aviser than men; 
and the weakness of God is stronger than men.'' 
" Where is the wise ? where is the scribe ? 
where is the disputer of this world? hath not 
God made foolish the wisdom of this world?" 
" The simplicity that is in Christ " prevails. 
That simplicity is the best philosophy of Chris- 
tian men and Christian ministers. 



■v 



RECONCILIATION. 47 

If, then, the gift of reconciliation is thus pro- 
vided, and if its ministry, which God has con- 
fided to his servants, has thus been attended 
with success, in former and in present times, 
shall we not strive to maintain that ministry 
in its primitive purity, simplicity, and power? 
Fathers of the Methodist Episcopal Church in 
these United States, and in its foreign agencies, 
who have ^^ borne ^^ no small portion of ^^the 
burden and heat of the dav," and have wit- 
nessed many a triumph of the reconciliation 
which you love to preach, accept of my warm 
and aJBfectionate congratulations on the service 
which you have been enabled to render in your 
great Master's cause — on the manifestations of 
spiritual prosperity which it has been your joy 
to see — and on the hopes which now spring and 
flourish around you. The work to which you 
have consecrated your talents, your toils, your 
days, has not failed; and it will not fail. You 
will yet, I trust, " see greater things " than you 
have seen. Brethren, who are employing your 



48 THE METHOD OF 

efforts for the Lord in tlie possession of experi- 
ence matured through the course of years — 
whose energies are yet unabated — who are the 
links of union between the former ministers of 
the Methodist Church on this continent / and 
them that are now rising up — and on whom no 
ordinary responsibility rests, let me congratu- 
late you also, while I express my confident per- 
suasion that you will continue to hold up the 
torch of truth in all its brightness — that you 
will carry out the plans and purposes of your 
honored predecessors to yet future years — ^and 
that you will transmit to others, unimpaired and 
entire, the deposit which is intrusted to you. 
And, my young brethren in this ministry, suffer 
me to address you. " Other men labored, and 
ye are entered into their labors.'' God give 
you his blessing! Your prayer will ascend, 
''The Lord our God be with us, as he was with 
our fathers; let him not leave us, nor forsake 
us." And may that prayer be heard ! Imitate 
the spirit and conduct of the men who have 



RECONCILIATION. 49 

gone before you, and of others with whom you 
feel it youi' privilege and delight to stand in 
ministerial fellowship. '^ Hold fast the form 
of sound words — in faith and love which is 
in Christ Jesus/^ Be not diverted from your 
proper path by man's traditions, man's philoso- 
phy, or any of man's vain imaginings. Preach 
the doctrine of reconciliation which your fathers 
and brethren have preached; and preach it with 
their faithfulness and zeal. The field of labor 
expands before you. Occupy it for your Lord. 
Go to the cities, towns, and villages of this vast 
country— go where its mountains rise, its rivers 
roll, its forests wave, and its valleys sweep — 
go, if the hand of God shall beckon you, to 
scenes yet more remote — go with the love of 
Christ in your hearts, and his message on your 
lips — go, through " evil report, and good report, 
as deceivers" — for so some may deem you, as 
they deemed your fathers — "and yet. true" — 
go, keeping the cross ever in your eye, relying 

on the Holy Spirit's presence and grace, and 

4 



50 METHOD OF EE CON C IL I ATI N. 

expecting success — go,, regardless of toil, un- 
checked by difficulties, and unappalled by dan- 
ger — " GOj AND THE LORD BE WITH YOU V^ 



THE FULLNESS 



OF 



CHEISTIAN PRIYILEGE. 



BY 



KEY. FREDERICK J. JOBSON, A. M. 



SEEM N 



-•♦^ 



"For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is 
named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his 
glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner 
man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, 
being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend 
with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and 
hight ; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, 
that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto 
him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask 
or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him 
be glory in the Church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world 
without end. Amen." — Ephesians hi, 14-21. 

What Christians we should be, if each of us 
comprehended our privileges as fully as did the 
apostle St. Paul ! If, instead of doubting, fear- 
ing, and desponding, under the sense of our 

own weakness, and the remembrance of our 

55 



56 FULLNESS OF 

unfaithfulness, we were to fix oui^ earnest gaze 
upon the '^ exceeding great and precious prom- 
ises" of the Gospel, till the wealth of their 
meaning penetrated and filled our understand- 
ings, and till their strength and fullness moved 
and governed all our powers, what a mighty 
change w^ould be accomplished in us ! Why is 
it, my brethren, that the spiritual graces of pro- 
fessing Christians are now so far below the 
apostolic standard? It is because we fail to 
comprehend fully the great truth, that our pos- 
sible attainments in Christian holiness are to be 
measured, not by our own feebleness, but by 
God's power; not by the weakness and un- 
w^orthiness of the human recipient of grace, but 
by the almighty mercy of the divine Bestower. 
For, failing thus to comprehend what God is 
able and willing to do within us, we fail to be- 
lieve, pray for, and receive, the transforming 
grace which would make us shining examples of 
holiness, and efiicient instruments in blessing 
and convertincr the world. 



CHRISTIAN PRIVILEGE. 57 

The great apostle of the Gentiles, in the in- 
spired language just read, would lead us forth 
to a full and. comprehensive view of Christian 
privileges. It is, as you will perceive, the lan- 
guage of prayer and supplication which he of- 
fered to God for the members of the Church at 
Ephesus, when he was a prisoner for Christ at 
Rome. That Church, by its situation and influ- 
ence, being at the very seat of idolatry and 
Asiatic power, was evidently the object of great 
attention and care on the part of the apostles 
and their brother evangelists. Timothy resided 
there for some time; as did also the apostle St. 
John, both before and after his banishment. 
St. Paul had planted that Church when on his 
way from Corinth to Jerusalem; and afterward 
he remained there for three years, preaching 
the Gospel, and adding to the Church, till he 
was driven from the city through the tumult 
which arose from the fear that the superb tem- 
ple of Diana — one of the seven wonders of the 
world — would be forsaken, and that the idol- 



58^ FULLNESS OF 



makers of the richest and most luxurious city 
of Asia Minor would be left without employ- 
ment. 

The apostles saw the importance of great 
cities to Christianity, as the centers of wealth, 
learning, and power, and therefore mainly di- 
rected their attention to them ; and undoubtedly 
it was on this account that Paul, who had la- 
bored at Antioch, Ephesus, Corinth, Athens, 
and Philippi, desired so earnestly to preach the 
Gospel at Rome, the great metropolis of the 
world. And now, when away from the Ephe- 
sians, and a prisoner at Rome, he is not less 
earnest in his endeavors to promote their spir- 
itual growth and prosperity. He writes this 
affectionate epistle to them — an epistle full of 
instruction and exhortation for their attainment 
of the highest state of Christian excellence. 
And in this part of his epistle he records the 
prayer which he solemnly offered for them 
before God — a prayer in which he shows us 
how sublimely great and comprehensive are the 



CHRISTIAN PRIVILEGE. 59 

blessings provided for us through Christ Jesus ; 
and which, if improved by us, as it is designed 
to be, will lead us to seek and obtain those full 
and exalted blessings. It is, in fact, a prayer 
which should be adopted and offered by every 
regenerate child of Grod who desires full conse- 
cration to him. 

The Ephesians, to whom the apostle wrote, 
and for whom he prayed, had been quickened 
from the death of trespasses and sins, raised 
into newness of life, and made to sit in heavenly 
places with Christ Jesus. They were '' saints," 
as he declares in his opening salutation ; but he 
saw that they were still imperfect, and below 
the standard they were called to attain. And, 
therefore, his large and expansive soul poured 
forth for them this prayer, expressive of his 
earnest desire that they might avail themselves 
fully of the saving grace of God, and be en- 
riched with all spiritual blessings in Christ Je- 
sus. And in no passage of his inspired writings 
does the fullness of St. Paul's comprehension 



60 FULLNESS OF 

of Christian privilege appear more glowingly 
than in that wliich forms our text. In this 
prayer the apostle goes beyond the usual sweep 
of his own vast and inspired conceptions. He 
had been gladdened by the information he had 
received of their deportment in the Gospel ; 
and filled with the grandeur of his theme — the 
provisions of Divine mercy — his soul is so highly 
elevated by the Holy Spirit, and he has such 
dazzling and extended views of what may be 
attained by man through Jesus Christ, that he 
seems to exhaust even his surpassing power of 
language in the expressions he employs. For, 
what wondrous terms are these — ^^strengthened 
with the Spirit's might'' — ^^ Christ dwelling in 
the heart by faith" — "rooted and grounded in 
love" — ;'^ comprehend with all saints what is the 
breadth, length, depth, and hight" — "to know 
the love of Christ which passeth knowledge" — 
and to be "filled w^ith all the fullness of God!" 
What a climax is here reached of thought and 
expression ; and what a magnificent view is thus 



CHRISTIAN PRIVILEGE, 61 

opened to us of the glory of Christian privi- 
lege. 

Nor is this a mere vision of a warm and brill- 
iant imagination. It is a revelation of solid 
and robust thought — a conviction of a spirit- 
ually-enlightened and divinely-directed under- 
standing. The apostle expects all this vast 
privilege for Christian believers, because he re- 
members who is the almighty Benefactor — even 
the ineffable Existence, who is "able to do ex- 
ceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or 
think/' and who has riches of spiritual endow- 
ment in his possession. What wonder that, with 
such exalted views, and with such firm and rea- 
sonable faith, his grateful and bounding heart 
should breathe forth the exultant ascription of 
praise to God with which the text concludes — 
"Now, unto Him be glory in the Church by 
Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without 
end. Amen!'^ 

Let us, for our personal edification, 

I. Inquire into the nature of those bless- 



62 FULLNESSOF 

INGS FOR WHICH WE ARE HERE TAUGHT, BY THE 
WORDS AND EXAMPLE OE THE INSPIRED APOSTLE, 

TO pray; 

II. Survey the ground on which we may 

PLACE OUR EIRM RELIANCE FOR THE FULFILLMENT 
OF THIS MOST ENLARGED PETITION ; and, . 

III. Learn to ascribe the glory of all 

SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS TO HiM FROM WHOM THEY 
SO BOUNTIFULLY PROCEED. 

I confess to you that I approach this great 
subject with fear and trembling; and that, not 
only from a sense of my own unfitness to han- 
dle a theme so exalted and pure, but also from 
the thought that it is a subject to be meditated 
upon rather than explained, and which the fee- 
bleness of human exposition may easily impair. 
Justice to such holy thoughts and holy words 
no preacher can hope to do fully; but since this 
passage of holy Scripture has been written for 
our learning, let us pray that even an imper- 
fect illustration of it may, by the Divine bless- 
ing, lead us to desire and seek the fullness of 



CHRISTIAN PRIVILEGE. 63 

Christian privilege provided for us through the 
Gospel. 

I. Then^ we are to inquire into the nature of 
those blessings which we are here taught to seek, 
hy the language and example of an inspired 
apostle. 

And, generally^ we may observe, they are 
spiritual blessings, and blessings to be sought 
by the regenerate — as "we may learn from the 
opening salutation and foregoing parts of this 
epistle. The Ephesians to whom the apostle 
wrote were Ephesians who had been saved by 
grace. Once they were far off, but had been 
brought nigh by the Wood of Christ. They had 
become, as he says, "fellow-citizens with the 
saints, and of the household of Grod, built upon 
the foundation of the apostles and prophets, 
Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner- 
stone ; and being fitly framed and built together, 
they had become a habitation of God througlt 
the Spirit." But though thus raised up from 



64 FULLNESS OF 

their natural, ruined, and fallen state, into spir- 
itual life, and resting on a sure foundation, yet 
they were not complete and perfect; they were 
not strong and firm ; their souls were not the 
constant abode of God, and filled with him, as 
it was their privilege to be. And so ^^for this 
cause*' — that is, for their being perfected in 
Christ — the apostle reverently bowed his knees 
to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
" of whom the whole spiritual family in heaven 
and earth is named," as the children of God; 
and sought for them by prayer, out of the rich 
and inexhaustible stores of Divine grace — here 
called "the riches of his glory" — the blessings 
which he describes. 

1. And the first of these blessings for which 
he prayed, and which we are thereby taught 
earnestly to seek, is that of great spiritual 
strength — "to be strengthened with might by 
his Spirit in the inner man." That is, to be 
mightily strengthened in the soul by the Spirit 
of God, so as to be able to abide steadfast in his 



CHRISTIAN PRIVILEGE. 65 

service; to perform, faithfully. Christian duties; 
resist, manfully, the temptations of Satan and 
of the world; and to endure, patiently, the 
afflictions of this mortal life. A weak Chris- 
tian is an unstable Christian. He is shaken by 
every wind that blows, and is often found trem- 
bling in his feebleness, instead of being " stead- 
fast and immovable, and always abounding in 
the work of the Lord." He is not constant 
and persevering in religious duties, but is fickle 
and uncertain in prayer, in faith, and in all 
spiritual exercises. His intercourse with God 
is easily interrupted; his closet duties are easily 
interfered with; his outward profession is often 
undecided and wavering; he is weak in princi- 
ple, weak in action, and weak in character. He 
does not advance to Christian maturity, but re- 
mains a babe through succeeding months and 
years. He is ever conning over the mere alpha- 
bet of religion, dwelling upon the mere rudi- 
ments of faith, always learning the first princi- 
ples, and never going on unto perfection. You 



>v 



66 FULLNESS OF 

find him beginning anew almost every day of 
his life; so that he is ever learning, and yet 
never coming to the knowledge of the truth. 
His faith is weak and feeble, so that he can not 
trust in God and appropriate the promises to 
himself. There is always some "if' ^ or '^huV^ 
in the way of his appropriation of them. They 
may belong to others who are more advanced in 
grace, but not to him till he shall become more 
faithful. And so the weak Christian passes on 
from week to week, from month to month, and 
from year to year — always feeling himself un- 
worthy of being blessed, and forgetting that it 
is Christ's worthiness and not his own upon 
which he ought to rely; and thus he remains 
weak and wavering, strengthless and trembling. 
And this, alas ! is the case with scores and hun- 
dreds of God's people. "Well, then, might the 
apostle pray, and teach us to pray, for inward 
and spiritual strength, so that there might be 
strong faith in God possessing our souls, and 
rendering us faithful in God's service. 



/ 



CHRISTIAN PRIVILEGE. 67 

So with regard to temptation — ^it is "hj the 
Spirit's might within the soul that we can resist 
and overcome it. A weak Christian is a fre- 
quent mark for the arrows of Satan. The 
enemy will be sure to tempt and harass such a 
man, and to endeavor to discourage him to the 
utmost. Not a doubt, or a fear, will arise in 
the breast of the timid one, but Satan will in- 
crease it, and will aim to draw the weak believ- 
er's mind off from the view of Christ's all-suffi- 
ciency to the remembrance of his own weakness 
and worthlessness. " no^ it is not for thee — 
this great and glorious promise !" the tempter 
will suggest; "thou art too unworthy. Remem- 
ber thy unfaithfulness — thy repeated neglect of 
duty — thy want of earnestness. This promise is 
not for thee. Do not presume to lay hold of it !" 

And so with other temptations which move and 
affect the weak Christian — temptations from the 
glitter and glare of the world — temptations from 
its gains and its losses, its smiles and its frowns. 
These decoy him into the wrong path — they 



68 FULLNESS OF 

» 

elate him unduly, or cast him down. In fact, a 
weak Christian does not sufficiently forsake the 
world to be free from its power and influence. 
He lingers and looks back, too much like Lot's 
wife; and is always in danger of being over- 
whelmed, like her, with destruction. Well, then, 
might the apostle teach us to seek firmness, 
resolution, and inward strength to resist Satan, 
and to overcome the world. 

So, again, with enduring afflictions and trou- 
bles. These require great strength of heart and 
fortitude of soul to be wrought within us by the 
Holy Spirit. And there are seasons in the life 
of man — I might almost say in the lives of all 
men — when trials accumulate, and seem to come 
in like a flood upon us, so that we have to say 
with Jacob, " All these things are against me." 
There are seasons, I say, in the lives of nearly 
all of us, when not only one wave suddenly 
passes over the soul, but when we have to say, 
"AH thy billows are gone over me;" when "out 
of the depths" we have to "cry unto the Lord." 



CHRISTIAN PRIVILEGE. 69 

And what shall the Christian do, at such sea- 
sons, without being strengthened with the Spir- 
it's might in the inner man? He can not be 
upheld, then, by weakness. Suppose persecu- 
tion and tribulation come to the Church of 
Christ — for that Church, like its Head, is de- 
spised and rejected of men; it is crowned with 
thorns, arrayed in mock garments, spit upon, 
and smitten by the world — what then shall 
enable the Chri^ian firmly to adhere to the 
Church, and not, in terror at the world's hea- 
then rage, go back from following the Savior? 
Nothing but inward spiritual strength. Or, 
suppose losses of health and property should 
suddenly be apportioned him, as they were to 
Job; or, that those whom he has trusted should 
deceive and desert him, in the time of neces- 
sity, as they did David; or, that he should be 
watched, accused, and condemned, like Daniel; 
or, be seized with mortal sickness,, like Heze- 
kiah; and lie gasping beyond all human relief? 
What can support and sustain the Christian in 



70 FULLNESS OF 

such extremities ? Not weakness and feeble- 
ness. They did not suffice even for smaller 
trials. And if, when running with footmen, the 
soul was wearied, what shall it do when it is 
summoned to run with horsemen ? There must 
be strength — divine strength, lent to the strug- 
gler. Let us, then, earnestly pray that we may 
be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the 
inner man. No other strength than the Al- 
mighty's strength, the strength of the Holy 
Spirit, will avail us for believing and serving 
God, for resisting temptation, and for enduring 
trial and affliction. It is not bodily strength we 
can rely upon, for, like Samson, we may have 
gigantic corporeal strength, and yet be inwardly 
weak. It is not, simply, intellectual strength 
that will keep and preserve us, for it did not pre- 
serve Solomon. It is not carnal confidence, self- 
reliance, which is nowadays so much lauded — it 
is not this which will serve us, for Peter had it, 
and fell suddenly and swiftly. Nothing but 
strength from on high, imparted to the inner 



CHRISTIAN PRIVILEGE. 71 

man, can avail us — nothing less than spiritual 
fortification by the Divine hand of the inward 
citadel and garrison of the soul. 0, let us 
pray for it ! 

2. The second blessing named by the apostle 
in this sublime and comprehensive prayer, is 
the indwelling of Christ in the believer^s heart — 
^Hhat Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith." 
There is no doubt that in this passage, and, in- 
deed, throughout a great portion of this epistle, 
there is the figurative allusion to a temple. It 
might be occasioned by the great and magnifi- 
cent temple of Diana, which was in the midst 
of the Ephesians to whom St. Paul wrote; for 
it was no uncommon thing with him to employ 
figurative allusions most familiar to the minds 
of those whom he addressed. And command- 
ing such public attention as this temple at Ephe- 
sus did, it is easy to suppose that the apostle 
had this in his remembrance when writing. Or, 
it might be that he drew his imagery from his 
own mental associations with the temple at 



72 FULLNESS OF 

Jerusalem. Or, both these buildings might sup- 
ply to him forms of expression. But, that this 
is the figure in his mind — that of a temple — is 
plain; for he had just before represented the 
members of the Ephesian Church as a building 
fitly framed together, and growing into a holy 
temple in the Lord. And now, after praying 
that the spiritual building may be made strong 
by the almighty Spirit, he prays that Christ 
may possess and inhabit it; that Christ may 
dwell not only in the Church collectively — " the 
body of Him that filleth all in all;' ^ but also in 
the individual hearts of the members of the 
Church — " that Christ may dwell in your hearts 
by faith.'' 

And this, my brethren, is a clear Christian 
privilege — to have Christ dwelling in our hearts. 
Not merely drawing nigh to us, as our friend 
and companion, but entering into our inmost 
souls, as no mere friend and companion can, 
making them his temples — so that the inner 
man becomes his consecrated shrine — his " holy 



CHRISTIAN PRIVILEGE. 73 

place/' which he purifies by his presence, and 
irradiates with his glory. "If any man love 
me/' says Christ, "he will keep my words; and 
my Father will love him, and we will come unto 
him, and make our abode with him.'' "I will 
dwell in them, and walk in them," says God 
when speaking of his people; and "if any man 
hear my voice," says Christ, "and open the 
door, I will come into him, and sup with him, 
and he with me." " Christ in you^^ says Paul, 
when writing to the Colossians — " Christ in you 
the hope of glory." Not Christ merely coming 
to you, visiting or meeting you ; but " Christ in 
your So that it is clearly our privilege to 
have Christ possessing and inhabiting us. Not 
merely meeting us in our closets, at our family 
altars, in our social means of grace, and in pub- 
lic worship; but to have him dwelling in our 
hearts, whether we be in the street, or the field, 
or the market, in the steamboat, or on the rail- 
road- — so that we are to be, in a deep and veri- 
table sense, the temples of the living God. 



74 FULLNESS OF 

And this, the apostle says, is hy faith. He 
never forgets the great evangelical principle 
which unites the soul with Christ. The cross 
is ever before him, and he is careful to refer 
every stage of man's salvation unto it. Justifi- 
cation, sanctification, overcoming the world, liv' 
ing in, walking with, and possessing Christ — 
are all hy faith, Christ first enters the heart 
by faith: "if any man hear my voice and open 
the door:" there is the hand of faith employed 
to open the door. And here we find that firm 
trust and reliance upon Christ are essential to 
his abiding with us : he dwells in the heart by 
faith. 

And, 0, how blessed it must be to have Christ 
dwelling in the heart ! His coming is blessed — 
unspeakably blessed. When from the darkness, 
the ruin, and desolation of sin, he renews the 
heart in righteousness, and fills it with light and 
joy — that is unspeakably blessed. But to feel 
him inhabit and possess the heart as his conse- 
crated temple — to hear within us his divine 



CHRISTIAN PRIVILEGE. 75 

voice saying, ^'This is my house, and here I 
will dwell, to adorn, and beautify, and strengthen 
this soul with the graces of nay Spirit; yea, I 
will feast here!" — what a glory is this! — how 
full of awe, as well as of holy delight, is the 
thought ! We are ready to say, with the ador- 
ing king of Israel, '^Will God in very deed 
dwell with men on the earth !" 

My brethren, let us see our high privilege in 
this respect, and resolve to attain it. We know 
what it IS to have Christ coming to our hearts 
at times and seasons ; but do we know what it 
is to have him dwelling with us ? He came at 
our conversion, and he would have remained 
uninterruptedly if we had kept the heart with 
all diligence — if we had always been watchful 
and prayerful. But, alas ! pride beckoned, and 
we allowed it to enter ; anger threatened, and 
we did not take warning, but allowed it to grow 
and rise into an evil flame within us-; the door 
of the heart was opened, little by little, to the 
world, till at last the love of the world again 



76 PULLNESS OF 

possessed the heart; and, in some instances, 
there was a stumbling into gross sin. But 
Christ can not dwell where sin is ; and he de- 
parted from us. And though, in the darkness 
and desolation which followed, we cried to Him 
to. return and save us, yet he has not had the 
entire and complete surrender of our affections, 
so that he has not dwelt in our hearts, he has 
not been permitted to make in them a constant 
abode. Still, the indwelling of Christ is our 
privilege : it is not too late to seek it. Let us 
seek it now — seek it earnestly — and seek it by 
faith. 

3. The apostle further leads us to pray .and 
seek for full establishment in Christian affec- 
tion — 'Hhat ye may be rooted and grounded 
in love." The metaphor here employed is two- 
fold. One, that of the general figure, a build- 
ing — grounded. That is, firmly settled . on a 
deep and solid foundation, so that the super- 
structure rests secure amidst all storms and 
floods that may beat upon it. The other figure 



CHRISTIAN- PRIVILEGE. 77 

is that of a tree, which, being rooted far down 
in the earth, and spread abroad under the 
ground, abides under all winds and hurricanes, 
and still prospers. And the union of these two 
figures fully expresses the meaning of St. Paul — 
that of firm and fixed establishment in grace. 
The ground of rest and nourishment to the 
believer's soul is said to be love; for this is the 
ground of all religious principle, and it is that 
which feeds and nourishes it, even to eternal 
life. Establishment in religion is establishment 
in holy love. Maturity in grace is maturity 
and perfection in love. It is here that the be- 
liever's soul rests, and rests securely. 

And, my brethren, there is such a state of 
Christian attainment as that of having our prin- 
ciples so deeply laid and firmly fixed that no 
trials and temptations shall unsettle or remove 
us. Paul had undoubtedly attained it when he 
exclaimed, "Who shall separate us from the 
love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, 
or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, 



78 FULLNESS OF 

or sword? Nay, in all these things we are more 
than conquerors, through him that loved us." 
And then he answers his own question more 
triumphantly, ^'I am persuaded that neither 
death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, 
nor powers, nor things present, nor things to 
come, nor hight, nor depth, nor any other crea- 
ture, shall be able to separate us from the love 
of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." 
The heart, then, can be established with grace; 
but even this glowing language of Paul does 
not warrant presumption. It does not encour- 
age us to expect an establishment which will 
deliver us from watchfulness ; it teaches no doc- 
trine known by the term ^' final perseverance." 
The state of absolute certainty of continuance, 
and of absolute safety, belongs only to heaven ; 
it is the ever-blessed privilege of the company 
of the just made perfect, who are around the 
everlasting throne, of the Church triumphant. 
The Church militant, even the most perfect 
Christian believers, are still in a state of pro- 



CHRISTIAN PRIVILEGE. 79 

bation. But yet there is such a sure and set- 
tled state of grace to be attained by these, that 
you may almost certainly predict it will remain. 
You seldom know an old and established Chris- 
tian fall. There is the rooting of a tree, the 
adherence of the roots to the soil, so that their 
hold is firm and sure. There is the grounding 
and settlement of a building which, when com- 
pacted and fitly framed, rests with solidity and 
strength upOn the deep foundation, so as to 
remove all fears of unsafety. Thus, there is 
the rooting and grounding of a Christian in 
love, so that he becomes steadfast and immova- 
ble, always abounding in the work of the Lord. 
Brethren, seek this full establishment in holy 
and divine aifection. Do not be content to be 
unstable as water — to be always beginning your 
religion over again — always laying the founda- 
tion, and never having a superstructure of holi- 
ness. 0, seek to be rooted and grounded in 
love, that you may feel you are really going on 
to perfection. 



80 FULLNESS OF 

4. But establishment is not the limit of the 
apostle's prayer; it does not comprise his entire 
idea of spiritualizing the geometrical propor- 
tions of a building; he seeks for Christian 
believers all'Comprehending and experimental 
knowledge of the love of Christ — '''that ye may 
be able to comprehend with all saints what is 
the breadthj and length, and depth, and hight; 
and to know the love of Christ, which passeth 
knowledge." 

The temple is made strong by the almighty 
power of the Spirit — Christ dwells in it — the 
foundation is sure — and now he proceeds to its 
dimensions and extent. How his heart over- 
flows, and his large and fertile mind toils to 
express what he feels is,- after all, inexpressible, 
in merely mortal language, though raised by 
inspiration ! St. Paul uses these geometrical 
terms — length, breadth, depth, and hight — to 
convey to us some sense of the immeasurable- 
ness and immensity of the love of Christ; but 
he does not attempt really to define the dimen- 



CHRISTIAN PRIVILEGE. 81 

sions of that love. Where could he begin to 
measure it? Where would he first place the 
measuring-line? Who can date the commence- 
ment of the love of Christ? He is ^Hhe Lamb 
slain/' in the eternal purpose, "before the 
foundation of the world.'' And where shall 
Christ's love end? It shall reach on forever. 
What is its breadth? It extends to all man- 
kind — as Paul exults to contemplate in this 
epistle ; for Gentiles as well as Jews are fellow- 
heirs and partakers of the promises in Christ, 
by the Gospel. Its breadth, like its length, 
is unlimited. And what of its depth? It is 
deeper than the universe; for it was in exist- 
ence before the outward universe was formed. 
And what of its hight? It reaches to heaven; 
yea, to coheirship with him of his Father's 
kingdom. Measure the length of eternity — 
span the breadth and fathom the depth of the 
universe^yea, scale the hight of heaven — and 
then, and not till then, say you can comprehend 

the immensity of Christ's love. His love sur- 

6 



82 FULLNESSOF 

passes all examples and instances of human af- 
fection, however strong, as the Scriptures de- 
clare. It is not love to a good man for whom 
some would even dare to die; but love for the 
sinful and depraved — pitying love for those who 
have no pity on themselves. Not love for a 
friend, such as Jonathan's love for David; but 
love for enemies. Not love passionate and 
human, expressing itself hastily in exaggerated 
forms, as in the case of the bereaved father, 
when he went weeping up into his chamber, ex- 
claiming, " 0, Absalom, my son, my son, would 
to God that I had died for thee !" It is divine, 
intelligent love, beyond all expression. It is 
love surpassing even that of the very strongest 
and most unsubduable human affection that we 
are acquainted w^ith — the love of a mother for 
her own child — for a woman may forget her 
sucking child so that she shall have no longer 
compassion on the son of her womb ; but says 
Christ, "I will not forget thee!" It is love 
passing all knowledge. 



CHRISTIAN PRIVILEGE. 83 

And yet St. Paul, the proficient scholar of 
Christ, prays that Christians may comprehend 
it. But how far? ^^With all saints.^^ As far 
as any saints of God ever did, or ever shall 
comprehend it — as far as human faculties sanc- 
tified, possessed, and expanded by the Holy 
Spirit, possibly can know it. And, 0, to know 
the love of Christ as Isaiah knew it, when he 
wrote the fifty-third chapter of his prophecy — 
to know it as Martha, and Mary, and Lazarus 
knew it at Bethany — to know it as John the 
beloved disciple knew it, when he leaned on the 
bosom of Jesus at the last supper — to know 
it as the apostles knew it, who witnessed his 
agony in Gethsemane and saw him expire on 
the cross — to know it as Paul, and James, and 
Peter knew it; as the holy martyrs knew it 
when they felt that the flames were to them as 
beds of roses; and as many eminent saints 
since their time have known it, whose souls 
glowed like seraphic fires with the intensity of 
Christ's love — how glorious this knowledge ! 



84 FULLNESS OF 

And if God be no respecter of persons, it may- 
be as fully ours as theirs. Or, if the meaning 
of the apostle was, that the members of the 
Church might share and participate with all 
saints living upon the earth; if, in his large and 
all-comprehending sympathies, he prayed for all 
who loved the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, 
then the knowledge of the love of Christ, which 
he desired and sought for them, was great be- 
yond what could be described, or even con- 
ceived. It '' passeth knowledge." It is beyond 
what can be apprehended by the mere exercise 
of the understanding. It is experimental, and 
not mere theoretical knowledge. It is the love 
of Christ shed abroad in the heart by the Holy 
Ghost, and which is inwardly felt beyond any 
thing that can be otherwise understood. 

5. But we have still to contemplate the cli- 
max of Christian attainment; for the apostle 
prays, farther, that the Ephesian believers might 
be ''filled with all the fullness of GfodJ^ This 
is beyond all that he had previously expressed, 



CHRISTIAN PRIVILEaE. 85 

and is what we should not have dared to speak 
of as a Christian privilege if we had not been 
taught it by inspiration. It is still the same 
idea of a Christian edifice, and most probably 
in allusion to the Temple at Jerusalem, in which 
God had dwelt, and which, at its dedication by 
Solomon, he so filled with his divine presence 
and glory " that the priests could not stand to 
minister by reason of the glory which filled the 
house of God." So, with regard to the soul of 
the Christian believer, Paul had prayed that it 
might be powerfully strengthened by the Spirit, 
so as to be supported and upheld, like the strong 
walls of a building, amidst all trials and assaults. 
He had prayed that Christ might dwell within 
it, as God dwelt between the cherubim in the 
holy of holies. He had prayed that in its sanc- 
tified capacity it might comprehend with all 
saints the immensity of redeeming love, and 
know by inward experience what can not be 
learned by theory; for there is nothing like it, 
or equal to it, in heaven or on earth. And 



86 PULLNESSOF 

now St. Paul prays that the temple thus raised, 
strengthened, possessed, and extended, may be 
filled with all the fullness of Grod ! This is an 
amazing reach of thought and petition. It is, 
undoubtedly, the greatest of all the great say- 
ings of the apostle; and it is plain that, in this 
instance, even his nervous language bends under 
the weight of the divine idea which he seeks to 
express. 

To be strengthened with the Spirit's might 
in the inner man is much ; to have Christ dwell- 
ing in the heart by faith is still more; to be 
rooted and grounded in love is valuably more ; 
to comprehend with all saints what is the length, 
and breadth, and depth, and hight, and to know 
the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, is 
rapturously more ; but to be filled with God is 
surpassingly more — and to be filled with the 
fullness, nay, all the fullness of God, is a 
thought that seems overwhelming, regarded as 
the possible privilege to be attained by an un- 
worthy creature, such as man, born in sin, sha- 



CHRISTIAN PRIVILEGE. 87 

pen in iniquity, and whose breath is in his nos- 
trils. 

But what does it mean? It can not mean 
that the whole Godhead, in his essence and at- 
tributes, shall be comprised within human souls. 
That can never be, unless the smaller can com- 
prehend the larger, and the creature circum- 
scribe the Creator. We can not expect that 
God will fill us with all the fullness of his om- 
nipotence, his omniscience, his infinity and eter- 
nity. We can not expect — I speak with awe — 
that the union of our human nature with the 
Divine, shall be like that of the adorable and 
perfect union of the Divine with the human 
nature in the person of our blessed Savior. 

But wliat does it mean ? How the divine 
Being can fill a human soul, so as to pervade it 
and irradiate it throughout, till the glory beams 
even through the believer's countenance, I think 
we may, in some measure, understand, from 
what we have personally witnessed in happy 
saints. There are evidently three distinct states 



88 FULLNESS OF 

of man's salvation set forth in the Scriptures- 
inward renewal, or the new birth ; inward puri- 
fication, or being cleansed from all sin ; and in- 
ward fullness, or being filled with all the fullness 
of God. Hence the command, " Be ye filled 
with the Spirit." Of John it was said, " He 
was filled with the Holy Ghost'' from his birth. 
Of Stephen it is said, he was "full of faith, and 
of the Holy Ghost." Of the apostles it was 
said, " They were all filled with the Holy Ghost." 
And here, with no exaggeration of language, 
for it is inspired, we are taught tliat we may be 
filled with all the fullness of God. And have 
not some of the devoted servants of the Lord 
experienced this blessing since the days of the 
apostles ? John Fletcher, for instance, who loved 
and served God with such intensity of afi*ection 
and delight, said to his devoted wife, "I have 
experienced much of the life and power of- God, 
but never yet all his fullness." Afterward he 
said, " It is come ! and at length God has given 
me all the fullness that I asked for!" Good 



CHRISTIAN PRIVILEGE. 89 

John Howe testified the samej and said he was 
so filled with love and joy that he knew not 
how to live. And you may remember it is re- 
corded that John Fletcher once said, "Lord, 
stay thy hand, or the vessel will break ^' — he 
was so filled with the love of Grod. But he tes- 
tifies again that the vessel can be enlarged and 
filled again — enlarged and filled again! And 
thus it will be eternally with the glorified in 
heaven. God can stretch our capacities "wider 
and yet wider still/^ and then^ " with all that is 
in him, our souls forever fiU.'^ 

0, how unspeakably great and glorious is this 
privilege of being filled with God ! To be filled 
with him is to be filled with light; for "God is 
light, and in him is no darkness at all.'^ To be 
filled with him is to be filled with love; for 
"God is love, and he that dwelleth in love 
dwelleth in God, and God in him.'' To be filled 
with God is to be filled with consolation, peace, 
and joy; for God is the God of consolation and 
of peace, and the source of pure and eternal 



90 FULLNESS OF 

enjoyment. It is, indeed, heaven upon earth, 
"joy unspeakable and full of glory/^ But we 
must cease to speak of this high privilege; for 
thought and speech both exhaust themselves in 
the feeble endeavor to conceive and to express 
the deep things of God. 

II. Let us proceed to survey the ground of 
certainty upon which we may firmly rest our 
reliance for the fulfillment of even this our most 
enlarged petition; namely ^ the all-sufficiency of 
God; for, says the apostle, '^He is able to do 
exceeding abundantly all "we can ask or think, 
according to the power which worketh in us.^^ 

St. Paul knew well the opposition that would 
be raised by unbelief against the attainment of 
this high state of grace and salvation ; and that 
the arch-tempter would be ready to strengthen 
the doubts of a weak believer, and suggest that 
such great and unspeakable blessings as the 
apostle prayed for were beyond what God could 
or would bestow upon his human creatures. St. 



CHRISTIAN PRIVILEGE. 91 

Paul, therefore, meets this suggestion by de- 
claring that God could give abundantly more 
than he had expressed, or even thought of. 
That this was the intention of the inspired apos- 
tle may be seen in other parts of his writings 
when setting forth high spiritual attainments. 
As, for instance, in connection with his prayer 
for the Thessalonians, that they might be sanc- 
tified wholly, throughout body, soul, and spirit, 
and preserved blameless unto the coming of 
Christ — he adds, immediately, as if he would 
silence all doubt and unbelief, "Faithful is he 
who hath called you, who also will do it." And 
so here, he adds, in order to give an instant 
check to unbelief, "He is able to do exceeding 
abundantly above all that we can ask or think.'^ 
Let us look at this truth; and as we have passed 
through the successive gradations of the apos- 
tle's prayer, let us, as far as our time will allow, 
thoughtfully proceed with him, step by step, in 
treading the ascent of this high and sure reli- 
ance upon God for what he seeks. 



92 FULLNESS OP 

1. The apostle declares that God is able to 
do all that we ask from him. And what can we 
ask? We can ask for all the apostle here prays 
for. We can take his prayer as an inspired 
form, and ask for the Spirit's might in our inner 
man, for the constant indwelling of Christ in 
our hearts, for being rooted and grounded in 
love, for being enabled to comprehend experi- 
mentally the length, and breadth, and depth^ 
and hight of the love of Christ; yea, we can 
pray to be filled with all the fullness of God. 
And then, when we have gone through these 
petitions, we may know that God can do all that 
we ask. But this is only one prayer, and there 
are other great and comprehensive prayers scat- 
tered throughout this book which we can make 
our own — prayers of Abraham, and Jacob, and 
Moses, and Samuel, and David, and Elijah, and 
Daniel, and Paul, and Peter : there are prayers 
for pardon, and peace, and renewal, and conso- 
lation, and strength, and protection, and sancti- 
fication, and divine fullness, and heaven, and 



CHRISTIAN PRIVILEGE. 93 

eternal life. Can not we pray for these ? He 
to whom we pray can do all that we ask. 

2. God is able to do all that we can tliink. 
Thought is more subtile and refined than lan- 
guage. Thought is the spirit and language is 
the body; and thought will often pierce into 
depths and hights that can not be expressed. 
Consider, my brethren, what you have thought 
of, in your highest contemplations of Christ, 
and holiness, and love, and heaven, when you 
have desired, like the angels, to look into the 
mysteries of redemption, and have trembled be- 
fore the mercy-seat in an ecstasy of love. How 
your quickened and exulting mind then glanced 
forward in its desires, and your very soul lay 
panting with ardent longings for more and 
deeper spirituality, even as the hart panteth for 
the water-brook! Grod can do all that you can 
think. 

3. Yea, he can do more than you- can either 
ask or think — yea, ahundantly more — yea, ex- 
ceeding abundantly more. What a combination 



94 FULLNESS OF 

of language! And yet it is not merely the 
splendor of human rhetoric ; it is inspired ; 
and it means that there is an infinite fullness 
in God which surpasses our finite measures of 
thought or expression, God's power to bless 
us surpasses all the reach of vocal or even men- 
tal prayer. He is " able to do exceeding abund- 
antly above all that we ask or think." How the 
stream of declaration on the all-sufficiency of 
God rises till it overflows ! 

4. But St. Paul shows us proof, and direct 
proofj of the truth of what he declares — even 
the proof of our own experience. ^'According 
to the power which worketh in us;" that is, 
according to the power that converted and saved 
us. For, since God has quickened us from the 
death of trespasses and sins, and made us new 
creatures in Christ Jesus — since he has enlight- 
ened us and strengthened us, preserved us amid 
all our temptations, and kept us as monuments 
of his grace and salvation, then we may firmly 
and joyfully believe in him for all the fullness 



CHRISTIAN PRIVILEGE. 95 

and perfection of his blessings. What more 
convincing proof do we need of God's power to 
bless us fully and to save us to the utmost, than 
the blessed fact that he has saved us thus far 
already ? 

If we needed more proof, I would refer you 
to the experience and declarations of others. 
Did not God exceed the prayers and thoughts 
of Abraham, when he promised that in Isaac 
the seed of Abraham should be blessed, and 
that that seed should be as the stars of heaven 
for multitude? Did not the Lord exceed the 
prayers and thoughts of Jacob concerning his 
reception by Esau, and his recovery of Joseph? 
Yea, he said to Joseph, ^' I had not thought to 
see thy face, and God hath shewed me thy seed 
also." Did not the Lord exceed the prayers 
and thoughts of David when, after being hunted 
like a partridge on the mountains, God made 
him king over Israel, and exalted hi« name in 
the earth? So with Daniel, and Hezekiah, and 
others that we might name ; so with Martin 



96 FULLNESS OF 

Luther and the Reformation; so with our fa- 
thers in Methodism ; and so with us ; for God 
has often surpassed, in his bountifulness, all our 
thoughts. Then let us not doubt while we seek 
from him all fullness of spiritual blessings. Let 
us approach him in faith — remembering that he 
is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; 
that he has already done much for us, and in 
Christ he will freely give us all things ; yea, ex- 
ceeding abundantly above all that we ask or 
think. 

IIL And now let us learn to ascribe the 
honor and praise of all the blessings we receive 
to Him who graciously bestows them upon us — 
"unto Him be glory, in the Church, by Christ 
Jesus, throughout all ages, world without end. 
Amen.*' 

It is evident that the apostle writes- these 
words with deep and profound reverence. His 
confidence is strong, but it is not presumptuous 
or heady ; it is full of that solemn awe which 



CHRISTIAN PRIVILEGE. 97 

becomes a human creature Avhen speaking of 
the high and lofty One who inhabiteth eternity. 
"Unto Him that is able''— "unto Him^^ be 
glory in the Church. More expressive than if 
the writer had given the full name of the divine 
Being. Just as it is written, "Fear Him^ who 
hath power to destroy both body and soul in 
hell; yea, I say unto you, fear Simr "I know 
Sim in whom I have believed, and am persuaded 
that Se is able to keep that which I have com- 
mitted to Him against that day.'' So in the 
text, the suppression of the divine Name de- 
notes profound awe and reverence in the mind 
of the writer. 

"Unto Him he glory f^ that is, praise, honor, 
worship, adoration — the acknowledgment of all 
power and goodness — "in the Church;" that is, 
by the assembly of Christian believers; for, 
every-where, an assembly of Christian believers, 
wherever it may be found, is a Church ; and the 
Church universal comprises all the believing 
and saved family of God, whether of earth or 



98 FULLNESSOF 

heaven. The Church comprises the saints of 
every name, of every nation, and of every re- 
gion — the saints of heaven as well as the saints 
of earth. This is the body of Christ redeemed 
and saved for his glory. 

"By Christ Jesus.'' For he is the appointed 
medium of acceptable praise as well as of 
prayer- Through him all blessings descend, 
and by him all praise rises fragrant to heaven. 
"Throughout all ages;" that is, forever and 
ever: it is one of the apostle's far-extending 
expressions that can hardly be literally ren- 
dered. "Throughout the eternities" it might 
be freely translated. It is an ascription of 
never-ending praise. And the man Avho has 
begun to oifer praise to God in the Church on 
earth, has commenced an eternal theme. He 
has begun a song that shall never end ; for when 
he ceases to sing on earth, he shall find his spirit 
attuned to the same song on a loftier key, and, 
with the Church triumphant above, his freed 
and disembodied spirit shall shout praise, and 



CHRISTIAN PRIVILEaE. 99 

glory, and riches, and blessing, and honor, and 
power^ and dominion be unto Him that sitteth 
upon the throne and unto the Lamb forever and 
ever. And who is there that is not now ready 
to add the solemn affirmation with which this 
grand ascription of praise concludes — "amen?'" 
Let it be so — let glory be given to Him, in the 
Church, by Christ Jesus, and world without end ! 

My brethren of the Christian ministry, I pre- 
sume not to address you this evening on sub- 
jects which relate immediately to your ministe- 
rial and official duties. These you know in 
their extent and details beyond any thing that 
I might be able to set forth. And there is not 
one of you at whose feet I would not gladly sit 
and learn. But occupying the place I do, and 
at your request, allow me to remind you — and 
more especially my younger brethren in the 
ministry — that what we more urgently need for 
faithfulness and usefulness in our work, is this 
high attainment in personal religion of which 



100 FULLNESS OF 

I have been speaking to-night. This was the 
secret of the great and extended influence 
wielded by our fathers. This sustained them 
in their vast and arduous labors, in this large 
and then uncultivated country. This made them 
so effective in the wilderness, the cabin, the city, 
and the village. And it was this that gave them 
that weight and breadth of character which they 
so signally possessed, and which made them 
such mighty and successful instruments in con- 
verting and saving dying and yet immortal men. 
It was not human learning, though that is valua- 
ble ; and some of them were, in the best sense, 
men of learning. It was not the arts of rheto- 
ric and elocution, though in these they were 
great, and — at least some of them — superior to 
men of the ordinary and average standard. 
They were eminently men of God. They were 
'^strong men '^— to use your own phrase-r-and 
that in the best sense. Their hearts were the 
abodes of Christ. They were "full of faith and 
of the Holy Ghost.'^ 



CHRISTIAN PRIVILEGE. 101 

And this alone can be our strength. This 
alone will enable us to discharge faithfully the 
trust committed to us. This will make you, my 
brethren, true followers of those great '^ pio- 
neers^' in this western world, and empower you 
to perform the work that God has given you to 
do. This alone will enable you to conserve, 
build up, and keep the Church of Christ, like 
true shepherds, and overseers, and laborers. 
Holiness — holiness — there is your qualification 
for the mighty work which the Lord has com- 
mitted to you ! 

It is not a new Gospel that we need, as some 
would have us believe — not a "latter day" dis- 
pensation, such as some teach; but a higher 
style of Christianity — a Christian full and ma- 
ture. And when this shall be the style of pro- 
fessors and of preachers — of people and minis- 
ters — then an influence shall be exerted that 
shall be felt throughout your wide continent till 
men marvel ; and which shall shame and put to 
naught the mushroom delusions that, in this age 



102 CHRISTIAN PRIVILEGE. 

of comparative unfruitfalness, have so quickly- 
sprung up in the world of religious profession. 
May He who is able to do exceeding abundantly- 
more for us than we ask or think, save us eter- 
nally ! Amen. 



(85 Y. 



EGBERT NEWTON'S SERMONS. 



-*^*- 



JUST PUBL.ISHED BY SWORMSTEDT «S& POE, 

At the "Western Methodist Book Conceriij 

SERMONS BY REV. ROBERT NEWTOH, D. D. 

EDITED BY REV. D. W. CLAEK, D. D. 

LARGE 12M0., 523 PAGES. PRICE, $1, WITH THE 

USUAL DISCOUNT. 



These sermons were taken down by verbatim reporters as the words 
fell from the lips of their author; and have since had the revision of 
those eminent Wesleyan ministers, Rev. W. M. Bunting and Rev. J. H. 
Rigg. The manner in which they were written gives them a life- 
likeness which could not otherwise have been attained, while their 
subsequent revision guards them against any defects of expression or 
thought into which the reporters may have fallen. Thousands who 
hung entranced upon the ministry of Mr. Newton when in this country, 
and other thousands who have heard of his great power in the pulpit, 
will welcome the volume. 

Since the days of Wesley no English minister has attracted a larger 
share of popular attention than the author of these sermons, A desire, 
felt by many, to read the discourses of so popular a preacher will be 
gratified by the publication of this volume. There are sixteen sermons 
in the book, on topics of great interest to Christians. They are admira- 
bly treated; pointed in expression, copious in illustration, flowing in 
style. We had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Newton preach in Baltimore 
in 1840. The last discourse in the volume — 1 John iii, 12 — was the 
subject. It seems to be reproduced here with great felicity. We almost 
hear the preacher while reading the sermon. — Richmond Christian Ad- 
vocate. 

This volume of sixteen discourses on practical topics, by a man mighty 
in the Scriptures, and in the power, human and divioe, by which men 
are moved to embrace the "only hope," is a precious contribution to 
the religious literature of our country. Dr. Newton, eminent in life, 
will survive, in these discourses, as a preacher of superior ability, and 
admirable excellence, in the qualities which make up an effective min- 
ister of the Gospel. — Christian IntelUge7icer, (Didch Reforvied.) 

Dr. Newton was one of the men of mark in the English conference, 
both as a man to plan and to act. While he may not have possessed in 
a high degree those higher modes of genius which strike out new 
paths and discover new principles, he had, in an eminent degree, that 
practical talent which most successfully employs existing agencies, and 
most powerfully wields discovered truths. Eor years he was an admired 
pleader for Christian missions, and wherever he went he was surrounded 



DR. Newton's sermons 



by crowds of eager listeners. He lives in the affections of English 
Methodists — he lives in the missions, planned and established by his 
cares and labors — he lives in the hearts of many who heard him while 
in this country. 

One does not meet in these sermons the steady rhythmatic flow, char- 
. acterizing those of Mr. Watson, the bold dashes of Bascom, or the care- 
fully drawn-out and sustained prettiness of Stockton. But he will find 
strong, manly sense — clear Wesleyan theology — broad views and deep 
sympathy. While every paragraph reveals mind, it also manifests 
heart. Yes, there is heart in Dr. Newton's sermons. There are sixteen 
in the goodly volume which the Agents have placed upon our table, 
and they go over some of the most important doctrines of our religion. 
O, that our careful, distressed people could all read the sermon on 
"Worldly Anxiety and its Antidote;" and careless, indifferent mem- 
bers of the Church the one, "Caring for the Souls of Men!" Buy it, 
good friends, and read. — North-Western Christian Advocate. 

We find, on looking over this volume, the reason why Dr. Newton 
was so popular. He was a clear, earnest expounder of the great doc- 
trines of our common Christianity. He does not try to be profound or 
original, or grand or metaphysical, but, with a vigorous intellect and a 
warm heart, he presents the truth as it is in Jesus. 

We regard this book as a valuable contribution to our religious literar 
ture, and trust the enterprising publishers, and the excellent editor, 
will be cheered by an extensive sale, not only in their own Churches, 
but among Christians generally. — Central Christian Herald, {Presbyterian.) 

There is a large-heartedness, a wide, deep flow of holy, happy feeling 
in these sermons, which will be found elevating and refreshing to the 
Christian reader. In doctrine they are thoroughly Wesleyan, and as 
thoroughly devoid of narrow-minded bigotry. They exhibit one of the 
most noble specimens of a Christian minister breathing his very soul 
into his sermons. The mechanical execution of the work will com- 
mend it to the most fastidious. Let these sermons be scattered by the 
thousand. If Dr. Newton, as he was when these sermons were deliv- 
ered, could visit this country, tens of thousands would attend upon his 
ministry; but he has gone to heaven. Yet through this volume he 
still preaches to them that dwell on the earth. Then let tens of 
thousands buy and read these excellent sermons. — Western Christian 
Advocate. 

This book will have a large sale ; larger, perhaps, than the Memoirs 
of the eminent author. We can see in these sermons the source of the 
power of perhaps the most popular preacher in England, of his day. 
There is a simplicity in style peculiarly English, a force and fullness, 
which, accompanied with a powerful voice, and an unction from on 
high, might well produce great effects. We advise every young min- 
ister to procure the volume. — Zioii's Herald. 

There are sixteen sermons in all — several of which we remember 
were preached by this distinguished man while in this country. A deep 
evangelical piety pervades them, which will commend them to the 
Christian reader. Few sermons read as well. Taken as they fell from 
his lips in the pulpit, there is a freshness about them which sermons 
prepared for the press do not often present. Next to that of Olin, we 
regard this as the "best volume of sermons from a Methodist divine 
that has been issued for many years. The style is clear and forcible, 
and the thought compact. Scriptural, and demonstrative. The book is 
a substantial contribution to W^esleyan literature, and we trust its 
success will warrant the issue of a second volume, the materials for 
which are in the hands of the English editor. — Methodist Protestant. 




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